From Batanes to Tawi-Tawi, PH Coast Guard's first female pilot conquers them all

As early as her childhood days, Christine Pau-line Diciano had always dreamed of taking control of that bird-shaped metal that flies in the sky.

- RICHA S. NORIEGA

So when the rare opportunity finally knocked in 2005, she made sure that she would not only become a successful aviatrix but would also make history in the Philippine skies.

It was history indeed for Diciano as she became the first female pilot of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG).

“During that time in 2005, they were looking for the first female pilot po. I just submitted my requirements, baon ko lang po ‘yung lakas ng loob at tiwala sa Diyos (I just have the courage and trust in God). In God’s grace and the wisdom given to my leaders [in] the deliberation, I was able to qualify po and the rest was history,” she told Manila Bulletin.

After rigorous training sessions to prepare for her first fight, Christine was finally entrusted with an aerial mission in 2006.

PCG's Amelia Earheart

On her first flight, Diciano could not help but think of American female pilot Amelia Earhart, who was the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean – and one of her major sources of inspiration.

If her idol Amelia Earheart was able to do it across the Atlantic, Diciano takes pride in being the first to do it in the Philippines seas in the history of the Philippine Coast Guard.

From Batanes to Tawi-Tawi, Christine has conducted a series of maritime surveillance around the islands in the Philippines, which includes the West Philippine Sea, Benham Rise, Batanes, Palawan, Zamboanga, and Tawi-Tawi among others.